St. Vincent de Paul Parish celebrates 175 years

On the 175th anniversary of the creation of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Cape Girardeau, the Rev. David Hulshof said it is a time for all parishioners to celebrate and give thanks to God.

"It's a time to look back to one's ancestry so one can look forward to one's posterity," he said.

Hulshof, pastor at St. Vincent de Paul, said he has a lot of pride in the history of the parish.

Hulshof said St. Vincent de Paul served as a "mother church" or a "church of ministerial outreach" to help originally establish other Catholic parishes in Southeast Missouri. Immaculate Conception in Jackson, St. Patrick in Cairo, Ill., St. Henry in Charleston, St. Mary (now St. Dennis) in Benton, and St. Lawrence in New Hamburg were all developed and established with the help and outreach of St. Vincent de Paul.

Hulshof said St. Vincent de Paul has 4,496 registered parishioners, of 1,520 households.

"This parish is very service-oriented," he said. "It really lives up to the charism of St. Vincent de Paul."

Dan Koehler, a Cape Girardeau resident and 50-year parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul, stays active performing many duties with the church in the hope that he is leading younger individuals by example.

"Our faith is part of our life -- you've either got it or you don't," he said. "We've got an inborn obligation to live that faith and pass it on. You lead by example."

Delia Trejo, a Jackson resident and 15-year parishioner, said the growth of the parish is something she is very proud of.

"It's amazing how the community has been growing because of the faith of the people," she said.

The anniversary follows a recent announcement of a $4 million expansion of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish School to begin May 23.

"It's wonderful to see all of the parish expansion and to be a part of that, but we're always reminded that the real growth should be interior in a faith community," Hulshof said.

Parishioners celebrated the anniversary with a Mass at 5 p.m. followed by a spaghetti dinner hosted by Knights of Columbus Council No. 8469.

rrolwing@semissourian.com

388-3654

Pertinent Address: 1913 Ritter Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO